Over the last 40 years, Forestville’s food scene has largely been limited to a smattering of fast food outlets and the cafe inside the once-iconic Le Cornu Furniture store. Le Cornu’s closure in 2016 paved the way for a rebirth for the quiet south-west Adelaide suburb.
Forestville is home to a $250 million redevelopment, with plans to build 290 apartments, a school and South Australia’s first rooftop urban farm over the next decade. It’s an up-and-coming suburb, which is why Josh and Jacob Baker, the brothers behind Whistle & Flute, Just Down the Road, Sofia and Part Time Lover, wanted to be part of the action.
Enter Pompom, an all-day deli serving puffy pita pockets stuffed with moreish fillings, which opened in late-November.
The brothers, alongside business partners Stewart Wesson and John Savva (who are also co-owners of Sofia, Part Time Lover and Whistle & Flute) have partnered with Spero Chapley, owner of Adelaide’s Finest Supermarket. Also involved is Daniels Olsson, the founder of Eco Caddy and co-working space Mache.
The converted warehouse space was designed by Studio Gram. The concrete and timber aesthetic is a nod to the team’s other venues, with the addition of a splash of neon yellow, which is introduced with the sign out front, powerfully promising “Pompom Flavour Hammer”.
Jacob was cautious about opening “another” Just Down the Road, and so the idea for pita pockets entered the mix.
“Stewart Wesson, our amazing chef, designed this flatbread dough which we use at Sofia which when you cut it in half you can fill it with flavours inspired by our other venues,” Jacob tells Broadsheet.
Wesson built the menu by drawing inspiration from the team’s sibling venues. The menu includes Cypriot sausage from Sofia and fried chicken Milanese pita topped with the garlic butter from Just Down the Road. There are also breakfast pockets with sausage, a hash brown and egg, as well as delicious buttermilk pancakes.
Five Senses is once again the bean of choice, a brand the team has been faithful to since its days at Coffee Branch on Leigh Street almost 15 years ago.
“We want to make Pompom as relaxed and as user-friendly as possible, almost as if our customers are treating it like their own home,” Jacob says.
“We want to make sure people feel that warmth and that vibe as soon as they walk in,” Josh adds.
Pompom
58 Maple Avenue, Forestville
No phone
Hours:
Mon to Fri 7am–3pm
Sat & Sun 8am–2pm
